Ticking Bombs – Testimonies of Torture Victims in Israel – May 2007

Ticking Bombs – Testimonies of Torture Victims in Israel – May 2007

The current report of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel presents the testimonies of nine victims of torture in Israel, all Palestinian detainees who are residents of the Occupied Territories. The testimonies are presented in their simple language, in first person, almost in their entirety with the exception of light editing in order to improve their flow and clarity.

The testimonies, among the most severe to reach the offices of PCATI between the years 2004 and 2006, comprise the bulk of the report. We added formal documents such as medical testimonies, General Security Service (GSS) memoranda, and court papers. The factual claims in the testimonies of the torture victims were enumerated in PCATI complaints to the Attorney General’s Office, and were not concealed or denied by the Justice Ministry.

The nine torture victims are perceived by the Israeli security and legal systems as “ticking bombs” who could only be forced to reveal information through severe torture that might have saved lives. In this report, we cast doubt on the very logic inherent in the concept of “ticking bombs.”